


It’s Not A Question Of Appetite

by orphan_account



Series: I still wanna be your favorite boy! (YunGi) [1]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pizza Place, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Mingi unintentionally is a jerk, Misunderstandings, Pizza Delivery Boys, Rated T for language, That’s basically this whole fic, Yunho is a ball of sunshine, well okay Yunho cries quite a bit but still
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:34:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23302495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Yunho has always been a bright delivery boy, it’s just his thing. A happy smile, a couple of positive words, and the definition of customer service like no other.Now all he needs to know is why the tall redhead at the pizza place up the street keeps glaring at him.
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Kang Yeosang, Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: I still wanna be your favorite boy! (YunGi) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1652737
Comments: 16
Kudos: 257





	It’s Not A Question Of Appetite

**Author's Note:**

> Me?? Always like a day late for my biases birthdays? Yes that’s basically my brand at this point. Special shout out to xu who was literally offering to draw some of this au when I told her about it, love you bb ❤️
> 
> Title was taken from pizza by oohyo because I’m “cheesy” like that [knee slap] 
> 
> enjoy this!
> 
> -much love, nana

“Order for...ah hell.” 

Yunho turns to the source of the voice, wide eyes going even wider at the sight of the same tall redhead that has a history of staring Yunho down at traffic lights. It’s really, _really_ weird. 

“What’s the matter?” The person at the door says, to which Yunho turns around and gives them a smile along with the pizza they ordered. Right, that’s his job. He has to do his job regardless of what the tall redhead is going to do. On his way out he swears he sees the other delivery boy curse before giving the customer another pizza, immediately diving back down the driveway into his own car. 

He drives off, but not without giving Yunho another dirty look. He seriously needs to find out why that guy hates him. 

“I swear, that one delivery boy is gonna go and stare a hole right through our Yun’s head! You gotta do something about it.” San says angrily. He and Yeosang are the cooks in their kitchen, responsible for all the gourmet pizza they make. But currently, he’s yelling at their boss and the owner of the place, Hongjoong.

“Oh yeah, and say what? ‘ _Hi I know we’re rival pizza parlors but could you please talk to your delivery boy about the fact that he’s giving mine hostile looks’?_ Don’t you think that sounds ridiculous?” Hongjoong runs a hand through his hair and sighs, kicking at a nearby trashcan before settling down. “Kid’s probably pissed off he has to see Yunho at almost every single house he goes to.”

“Does that make any sense?” Yunho says as he walks in, making his presence known. Everyone turns to him as he throws his hat down and slumps into a stool at the front counter, frown wide on his face. 

“We’re just two employees, but he looks at me like he wants to kill me! I never did anything to the guy, nothing at all. I just wanna be friends.” 

“Now, now,” Yeosang puts a hand on Yunho’s slumped shoulder, the hand that’s not covered in flour. “I’m sure he’s just taking this business rivalry a little too seriously. In their defense, we started ‘Aurora’s Pizzeria’ not long after they opened ‘Treasure Diner’. Our business is probably a direct threat to theirs, as is vice versa.” 

“Yeah,” Hongjoong huffs, “but I never met their boss or anything. His employees might be pricks but I have no hostility towards them and I’m not about to give life to this stupid unspoken rivalry. Yunho, you keep doing what you do best, okay? Put a smile on our customers faces like you always do.” Hongjoong smiles at him and so does San, Yeosang gently ruffling his hair before going through the back doors to continue cranking out pies. San throws him a little thumbs up and at the very least, Yunho knows the people who do know him, love him unconditionally. 

He sees tall redhead again at a traffic light the following weekend. They pull up next to each other as Yunho is very aggressively singing to some EXO song before he turns his head and catches sight of the other. And as if it were by some scheduled reoccurrence (which it might as well be) the redhead squints his eyes and makes an absolutely _disgusted_ face. Yunho doesn’t know why but for some reason, that look hurts extra bad today. 

The light turns green and redhead drives off, and Yunho just sits there in the middle of the road, feeling his eyes tear up.

That’s definitely not what he was expecting.

They pull up to the same house (unsurprisingly) with their deliveries and the redhead is giving the customer a smile, one that Yunho’s never seen before. He’s usually arriving first and the other delivery boy follows him. He’s never had the chance to see the other in anything but a sour mood.

For some reason, it makes him hide. Teary eyes and all, he just stays quiet and stands slightly out of sight. The redhead bids the customer farewell after collecting his tip and turns around, face scrunching up for a second like he’s confused before it settles back into happiness. 

_He must have been expecting me to ruin his day_ , Yunho thinks. And the thought keeps his eyes misty even as he watches the other drive off.

The customer gives Yunho a very concerned look at the door. He doesn’t notice his tears have begun to fall until he’s forced to look into his rear view mirror. 

“Everything alright with you lately? Some of our regulars say you don’t smile as brightly and your deliveries are coming later than usual.” Hongjoong asks it without reserve, not a single hint of hesitancy on his face. San smacks his shoulder from the side and purses his lips, whispers something to him that’s probably about being more sensitive, before he’s turning to Yunho with a coo.

“Is something the matter, pup?” San brings a hand down to pet Yunho’s hair, one of his special abilities is soothing people that way. “You know you can always tell Sannie, right? I’ve got your back bud.” 

“I know,” Yunho huffs. “It’s nothing, just...a slump. Just not feeling too good.” 

_Just wondering why some guy I’ve never talked to hates my guts_ , he doesn’t say. 

San sighs, but he doesn’t push it. Neither does Hongjoong, who watches the entire exchange with knowing eyes. 

“Yunho?” Yeosang calls on a late night the following week. “There’s an order from a new place tonight, but it’s kinda far out. Do you think you can handle it?” 

“How far out is it?” Yunho stretches his long limbs, fatigue finally settling in from how busy he was today. He’s been trying to get back on track ever since Hongjoong pointed out how his deliveries are being affected by his emotions. More than worrying about why he’s hated, he doesn’t want to make any new people hate him in the process. He’s their bright, sunny delivery boy. That’s his thing. That’s what helps deliveries do so well. 

“Pretty far,” Yeosang says with a ‘tsk’. “College city just a little ways over.” 

“Ew, a _frat_ party?” Yunho sticks his tongue out, watching Yeosang let out a small chuckle but still giving the chef a smile nonetheless. “My job is to spread yours and Sannie’s amazing cooking as far as I can, so sure! You make the pizzas, I’ll get them there.” 

Yeosang nods at him in approval, face glowing with something like excitement. _Must be a big order_ , Yunho thinks. _But then again, it is more than likely a party._

And the order turns out to be big. Like, 20 pizzas big. It’d suck if his car wasn’t totally built for it, but then again the whole vehicle now is permeated with the scent of cheese and pepperoni and Yunho hasn’t eaten in hours. The drive there (which is almost thirty minutes) is practically torture. He ignores his hunger by singing along to more songs on the radio and before he knows it, he feels back to his bubbly normal self.

He honestly doesn’t remember why he was so sad and tired in the first place.

The place is a frat house, as he’d suspected. He quickly sticks his tongue out at the building and blows a raspberry, anger over the fact that he’s got to deliver to a place like this replaced with a sigh. It’s not like parties suck (although Yunho is more of a ‘stay at home and play games with some snacks’ type of guy) but being a delivery boy, he has no idea who ordered nor who’s going to give him his tip. Does he just...distribute it out? Leave it on a table? Put it in the kitchen?

“Well, there’s only one way to find out, right?” He steels himself, patting his cheeks and hyping himself up for this delivery. _He’s Aurora’s Pizzeria’s best (and admittedly, only) delivery boy! He’s renowned for his positivity! He can do this!_

So he takes one step out of his car when another pulls in just in front of it. And then he spots the tall redhead, and _oh_.

He definitely cannot do this. 

“You bailed?! On an order?!” Hongjoong yells,caught between furious and just...confused. It’s not something Yunho has ever done before, nor has he ever had a reason to. He’s even delivered in rain and snow. 

“I’m sorry! I just....I couldn’t do it.” Yunho stares down at his shoes, tears welling up in his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he whispers. He feels like a loser, and he probably looks like one too, as tears fall down onto the pristine white tile of the parlor. Hongjoong is quick to bring him into a hug, and even though his boss is much smaller than him, it makes him feel enveloped in warmth. He lets himself just settle into the elder’s embrace, breathing in and out and letting the sadness he feels wash over him in waves, knowing someone will hold him together until it’s all gone.

“Now, Yunho, how about you tell me what’s really wrong?” Hongjoong pulls away, running his fingers over Yunho’s plump cheeks to remove the drying tears before they have a chance to stain his light pink skin. Yunho takes a deep breath in and nods. 

He has people who know him, and they know when something is wrong too. Hongjoong wants to know everything about his friend, and Yunho’s tired of feeling the way he’s been feeling all alone. So let out everything, he does. 

“Ready your best outfits,” Hongjoong calls the next day, before they’ve even opened. “And meet back here in an hour. We’re about to send those Treasure jerks into the dirt.” 

“Finally,” San cheers. “I can get my hands on that idiot!” 

“A street fight?” Yeosang asks, a glint in his eyes that says he’s hoping for one. Hongjoong stares at both of his employees and exhales hard through his nose. 

“No one is going to be fighting anyone, thank you. But we are gonna have some choice words if things go down.” 

“I’ll take what I can get,” Yeosang smiles. San, too, looks extremely pleased.

Yunho just watches the whole thing with a shaky smile and nervous hands. 

Treasure Diner is beautiful, actually. Where Aurora’s Pizzeria is all pastels and fluttery, dreamlike decor, Treasure Diner is mainly sophisticated dark tints and sleek design. It looks more like a fancy restaurant than a pizza place. Then again, Yunho’s always thought of his own parlor as more of a milkshake-looking place than anything. 

It’s almost...intimidating how big the difference is. He feels out of place in between all of the dark and fine lines. He can tell Hongjoong shifts a little next to him in anxiousness, and he knows he’s definitely not alone. 

“What is this, French ass cuisine?” San murmurs, kicking at the ornate porcelain floors. “Pizza is finger food.” 

“Let’s just do what we came for and leave.” Yeosang fidgets the most aggressively out of all of them, fear written all over his expression. “I hate this place.” 

“Hello!” A voice suddenly greets them and the four of them collectively squeak. It’s embarrassing, but they’re all on edge as it is. They turn to the source of the voice only to find a beautiful boy with a sly smile, top buttons of his expensive-looking button up completely unbuttoned and exposing his clavicle. His hair is a very soft shade of lavender and the choker on his throat is the same shade to match. 

_Coordinated and gorgeous?_ San mouths to the others. _Horrifying._

“Well,” the boy laughs at the sight of them huddled together, “are you all just going to stand there, or are you going to order? We have tables, you know.” 

“Right,” Hongjoong says suddenly. “No, we’re actually here to speak with...I guess whoever is in charge.” 

“You guess?” The boy says in amusement. Hongjoong’s nose flares and Yunho can tell he’s already mad.

“Look, either you bring your boss out or you bring your damn pizza delivery boy here. Whichever one comes first.” 

“The delivery boy?” Lavender boy looks at Hongjoong like he’s lost his mind. Right, it’s probably not every day a group of four guys come in asking for their delivery worker like they’re gonna drag him to a back alley and jump him. 

(That’s not what they plan on doing, but Yunho knows his friends would go that far for him if need be.)

“Mingi!” The boy shrieks, which startles all four of the men in front of him. There’s a clatter from the back kitchen and almost as quickly as it sounds like an entire _war_ took place behind the double doors, they swing open to reveal _him_. 

Tall redhead, in all of his unbothered and confused glory. 

“These people wanna see you, so you should probably get to that.” The lavender boy says passively, though his eyes glint in amusement and curiosity. He’s probably the type of person to be nosy and then tease his friends once he gets his hands on private information.

He’d fit in well among Yunho’s friends, if his coworker didn’t hate said boy’s mere existence.

“Sorry, yeah I’ll be right out.” Tall redhead— no, Mingi— says. Now at least Yunho has a name to put to his striking face, and a memory of it looking untainted by sourness. Mingi is undoubtably handsome and it just makes Yunho feel worse, because for some reason he seems to be the only person on planet earth right now that doesn’t get to see that unreserved handsomeness. _Really, what did he even do wrong?_

Mingi comes out exactly five minutes later, hair a little mussed from whatever he’d been doing as he was banging and clattering in the kitchen. Lavender boy, who Yunho found out was named Wooyoung some time after the group chose to sit down in a booth like normal people, goes back behind the counter and simply stays there. He stares the group down and again, San mouths another _‘horrifying’_ and everyone nods. 

“Ah,” is the first thing Mingi says when he looks at them. “It’s you.” 

And it’s laced with so much disappointment that Yunho wants to curl up in a ball right there and sink into the ground, where he can cry his eyes out for the next decade. 

Mingi’s tone seems to be the last straw for San, who gets up and stares at the tall man with fiery eyes. Hongjoong follows and so does Yeosang. 

“What the hell is your problem?” San says, voice shrill. “Do you just get off on being a dick to Yunho? Is that pleasing to you?” He leans in forward towards the other from his place in the booth, a confused anger marring his features. San is a lovely person, but when he’s angry he’s nothing short of intimidating.

Mingi, surprisingly, looks like he’s at a loss for words. 

“Look,” Hongjoong pipes up, “either you give us a legitimate reason for your behavior towards our friend, or we blow this whole thing out of proportion. We just wanna know why you make him feel bad so much.” 

“And don’t try to say you don’t,” Yeosang says flatly. “Because you do. Quite often.”

Mingi just...splutters. He looks confused, then shocked, and ultimately it settles on something like shame. Real, genuine humiliation. 

“Can I talk to you? Privately?” He asks Yunho, ignoring everyone else in the room and focusing only on the other who’d shrunken into himself. Yunho felt even worse for admitting he felt bad to begin with. He didn’t want to make Mingi feel weird. 

But there is a softness in Mingi’s eyes, a gentle calm that Yunho has never been lucky enough to see, and he’s grateful that no matter how this blows over, at least he can remember the redhead this way. 

“It’s a stupid story,” is the first thing Mingi tells him when they’re alone. Somehow, despite the protests of all of his friends and his own reluctance, Yunho and Mingi ended up in a private section of the employee’s lounge. It was just them, sitting at the single table on either side. Yunho felt his nervousness increase tenfold. 

“Nothing is stupider than me crying over how you look at me,” Yunho laughs, though it’s hollow. 

“You cried?” Mingi’s eyes, which are a permanent level of sharp and scrutinizing, manage to round out into little ovals. He looks...saddened, by the news. Maybe even hurt. 

“I...” Yunho’s ears go red. “Yeah. I did.”

Mingi groans and lets his head fall onto the table with a loud _thunk._

“God, I’m never ever going to let myself live that one down.” Mingi grabs at his hair, tugging the red strands which up close have started to turn a tinge of orange. 

“Look, even if I explain it’s not really going to make this any better. But I still...you do deserve an explanation, I know you do.” Mingi’s face has gone completely red, his expression nothing short of bashful as he lifts his head to make eye contact with Yunho. It doesn’t make sense that this is the same person who always looked at Yunho like he had a death wish for the guy. 

“Do you remember the first time we delivered to the same house?” Mingi asks, voice soft and laced with something Yunho can’t decipher. He tries to think back to that day, only to come up blank. 

He shakes his head and Mingi goes even redder.

_“You’re so sweet!” The older woman at the door tells Yunho. He’d gone through the process of checking her order to make sure it was right before handing it to her, and even then he was careful with how he did it. It’s not like she was fragile, but one look at her said she’d had a very long day and the only thing Yunho could do for her now was not make it any harder. He spent the whole time shining with his bright smile and hoping his positivity would rub off on her some. If he could make her feel happy, then it’d be considered a successful delivery in his book._

_ “It’s nothing ma’am, you have a good day okay?” He told her, a hand coming to grab at the bill of his work cap. He waved to her as he walked off, bumping into a tall boy with red hair peeping out from underneath a hat. He stuttered out an apology with an equally red face at the sudden accident. The boy had his face hidden under his cap, so Yunho never did see it, but the one thing he did catch sight of was a gentle smile as the other told him not to worry about it. _

_ It made his day a little better.  _

“So that was you?” Yunho asked gently as Mingi was recollecting. The other nodded and Yunho had hoped it’d make something click, but it didn’t.

“That interaction was pleasant though. You’re not...you’re not still mad at me for bumping into you, are you?” He asks with wide eyes. Mingi laughs and stutters in response.

“Please, I wouldn’t stoop that low. You were really nice that day. It’s...what happened after that made me upset.” He admits, eyes downcast in the returning shame he’d worn earlier. Yunho doesn’t get it.

“The lady must have seen us bump into each other or something, because when I came up to her door she seemed tired all over again. At that time I was still really awkward and thought I had to be entertaining during a delivery or at least he successful at small talk, but I guess she was already a short fuse as it was.” Mingi says it all with a pout on his face, and Yunho can’t help but find it cute. “At the very end, the last thing she said was ‘why can’t you be more like that other delivery boy? He’s good at his job’ and then shut the door in my face. I guess since then I felt like I was...inadequate, not up to par with you. You’re known for your smiles and the kindness you show to people at their front door but what about me? I’m not known for much of anything and by extension, neither is my diner.” 

He looks up at Yunho, really looks at him with his rounded eyes and his pouting lips, and he sighs. 

“I’m sorry for taking it out on you. You didn’t even do anything wrong to me or to anyone I know. I don’t hate you...I was just envious. I wanted to be better both for my job and for myself, but it always felt like if I was in the race against you I’d come up short.”

And it clicks in Yunho’s head exactly why Mingi was the way he was. After he spent so long ruminating and dwelling over it, it finally makes sense. 

His first response, is to give Mingi a hug.

The other just sits there, shocked at the sudden action. Yunho had stood up and walked around the short length of the table just to pull Mingi’s head to his chest and hug him from where he was standing. Mingi just takes it for a few seconds, before eventually gently reciprocating the gesture.

“I’m really sorry I made you feel that way,” Yunho says softly. “It’s not like I tried to or anything, I know, but I’m still sorry.” He pulls away from Mingi enough to look down into his eyes, the others face having reached its peak amount of cherry-color. It makes Yunho smile.

“I had always hoped that you and I could be friends, really.” He admits, feeling his own face heat up. 

Mingi smiles at him, but it quickly fades. Yunho’s worried he overstepped the boundaries. 

_ Is it because we still work at rival pizza places? Is it because he doesn’t want to be friends with me? Was it awkward of me to hug him when I did? Dammit Yunho, why are you always too clingy too fast? _

“If we become friends,” Mingi cuts his thoughts off, “can I still ask you out on a date some time?” 

And that’s definitely not what Yunho was expecting, but it’s more than he ever could have dreamed of.

**

“Gross, stop sneaking kisses in my parlor!” Hongjoong says, grimacing at the sight of Yunho and Mingi giggling like school kids and pretending no one can see them as they kiss once more. Yeosang watches in amusement and San coos at them. 

“Shouldn’t you be pining over my boss?” Mingi sticks his tongue out at Hongjoong, who’s busy looking absolutely scandalized by the accusation. 

“I am _not_ pining over Seonghwa,” Hongjoong says. “Absolutely not. That is unprofessional and inappropriate.” 

“At least when we merge businesses I can see Wooyoung every day,” San singsongs. Hongjoong looks at him like he’s going to hit him. 

“Back me up, Yeo,” he turns to the other chef, who’s kneading a ball of dough. 

“It’d be nice to have Jongho’s strength for this, you know.” He says instead. San mentions something about gawking at the younger’s muscles which, in true Yeosang fashion, he doesn’t even try to deny. 

Hongjoong drops his head onto the counter, and Yunho and Mingi snicker before going in for another kiss. 

Well, if their businesses do merge, then maybe they can make doing deliveries together a couple thing.

**Author's Note:**

> (Fun fact: the reason why everyone buys pizza from both places is because they taste really good together. This is based off of the fact that in my city there’s these two local pizza places and I kid you not, if you stack a slice from each place on each other and eat it it tastes like 5x better because both places are kinda subpar lmao)
> 
> If you came all the way down here, thanks for reading! Leave comments and kudos if you wanna, yeah? 🍕 
> 
> Stay safe, happy and healthy everyone :)
> 
> -until we meet again, nana


End file.
